


The Reverie did not see it coming

by LittleRuky



Category: One Piece
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2016-08-28
Packaged: 2018-08-11 03:45:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7874938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRuky/pseuds/LittleRuky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Strawhat pirates did not plan this. Their captain, surprisingly, did. And now they are left to ponder their choices as the world's undivided attention is centered on them. Luffy's answer: If they hunt you, you go visit them. One-shot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Yosh! Let's go on another adventure toda-"

Luffy's exclamation was suddenly brought to a halt by a well indented fist on his head courtesy of Nami. The orange haired girl crossed her arms and huffed, a clear sign of her impending headache.

"I already told you this morning Luffy, we are not going anywhere besides where the Eternal Pose is guiding us! Why can't you get that through your thick head?"

The captain of the Strawhat pirates pouted, nursing his swelling wound. "I forgot. Can you tell me again?" The flashing grin made the Navigator face-palm.

"Stop messing with Nami-swan you idiot!" Suddenly, Sanji was at his throat, shaking him back and forth in a clear threatening manner. Already used to the Love Cook's antics, Luffy merely continued speaking through the continuous shaking.

"But I thought we were going after Big Mom!"

"That's what your adventure included from the beginning?!" Usopp yelled, throwing a pointing finger accusingly towards his captain. The other's grin only served to bring the sniper more misery.

"Nami, the ship is in super condition for our journey!" Franky announced, jumping from the mast onto the deck and doing his usual pose.  
Nami smiled and opened her mouth to thank him but a sudden, startled snore from near the railing distracted her.

"Mm, whe'r we goin'?"

The Navigator could feel a vein threatening to burst on her temple when she looked at the lazy swordsman rubbing his eyes. Sometimes she questioned her choices in life. But then again, the answer was always the same in the end.

Wouldn't trade it for anything."All right, listen up goofs. The Reverie is in seven days."

"What does it have to do with us?" The ever-clueless Luffy questioned scratching his head. He was perched on the bench encircling the foremast, enjoying his newfound freedom from Sanji's hold.

"The world's attention would be centered on Mariejois and the Council." All heads looked up to see Robin leaning on the rail on the level above them. An amused smile played on her lips as she continued Nami's explanation. "Surely we'll be talked about too. Me and Nami decided to give them a hard time finding us, should they try something."

"So we're hiding?" Zoro lifted an eyebrow in disbelief.

"Something like that." The archaeologist nodded. "All through the Grand Line and New World pirates are assembling on certain islands to watch the event. It's a good place for alliances and the like."

"I think we've had enough alliances for now." Sanji muttered, eyeing an overexcited Luffy. The rubber man was jumping up and down, clearly sold with the promise of possible alliances.

We can meet even more nakama!

"Oh boy." Nami sighed. "We've got the Pose from Torao when we left Zou."

"Torao is coming too?" The black haired captain was even more hyped up now.

"Probably." Franky shrugged. "We're going to an island named Meimeishima. It's pretty far from Zou but we'll manage." The carpenter scratched his chin looking thoughtful.

"Robin, why did you say we'll be talked about too?" Usopp asked from his spot on the grass. He paused in his fiddling with a new weapon to pay attention to the subject.

The woman shrugged good naturedly and gave the answer most dreaded by the sniper. "Surely it's pretty self-explanatory."

"Yohoho, indeed!" Brook exclaimed from his spot on the bench next to Luffy. The skeleton had been quietly tuning his guitar. "The other rookies, too, surely."

"T-that means it's going to be even more dangerous from now on!" Chopper cried out, his hoofs covering his eyes. Usopp gave a startled cry as well, slumping on the ground to mope his fate.

"That's why," Nami empathized, "We're doing something about it."

"Yatta! More adventures!" Luffy jumped up, throwing his hands up the air. "Let's go!"

There was an echoing "Aye, captain." doubled by Usopp's "What is your definition of adventure, exactly?!"  
________________________________________

"We have to dock for provisions." Sanji inhaled from his cigarette, sending a puff of grey smoke up in the air.

Nami sighed but nodded nonetheless, smiling. "All right. I am going to search for the nearest island."

Sanji's eyes were suddenly heart-shaped. "Nami-swan you are as reliable as always!" The cook twirled around the room, looking for all intents and purposes, like a walking noodle.

The orange head shook her head at his antics before proceeding with her task.

It was around mid-afternoon when Luffy's attention span finally went out. "How much time 'till we get there, Naaaaami?"

Usopp watched his captain slide along the ground, one hand extending unnaturally far for a human being to one of the branches of the tree he was currently under, and shook his head. The strawhat wearing boy looked like a monster from a horror book, all sprawled and dangling from one fucking long hand from the tree. He pitied the egoistic thief sometimes.

"We are going to dock on another island on the way there to get supplies Luffy." The sniper decided to keep his friend entertained a little. He desperately wanted some new materials for his new invention from the city.

"Aah, I see." His captain answered absentmindedly, swinging himself on his arm.

Usopp watched him partly in fascination, partly with worry, a gram of his respect going to the poor tree. Luffy looked more and more bored and that never bid well, especially with his tendency of wreaking havoc wherever he went. He could only hope and pray to whatever god was out there that his captain would behave just this once. The inventor snorted. As if.

"But I'm borrrreeeeeeeedddddd!" The drawn out exclamation was so foreseeable, it was almost sad.

"YES! We are definitely going there!"

Nami's exclamation served to attract everyone's attention, waking up a napping swordsman in the process.

"What, what? What's happening Nami?" Luffy grasped the new situation, and held it tight. He was bored of being bored already.

The Navigator's head popped up from the second level. "The closest island is the island of paradise!"

Eyes wide as saucers, Luffy asked excitedly. "Really?! What's in there?"

Franky, Brook and Sanji stepped closer, their curiosity peaked. Zoro looked on from his spot on the ground, Robin leaned over the railing to watch the commotion below and Chopper exited the infirmary too see what was happening.

Suddenly, Nami's eyes sparkled. Bringing her hands together, she exclaimed in delight. "Clothes!"

Luffy, Usopp and Chopper face faulted, Zoro snorted already half-expecting the answer, Sanji cooed over how Nami-swan was sparkling and Robin laughed.

"Sister, you sure have interesting tastes." Franky chuckled alongside Brook.

Seemingly oblivious to the others, the Navigator did a little twirl. "Its name is Fukuma and it's the dream of every fashion admirer!"

"And don't forget we are going there to resupply." Zoro added sarcastically.

Being in a good mood at the moment, Nami simply ignored him, opting to get everyone to their posts. Their destination was quickly coming into view and it only served to uplift her mood. She wouldn't let anyone destroy it.

________________________________________

"What the... hell?" Light brown eyes slid left and right reading with growing incredulity the humongous prices for the clothes.

Nami, Luffy and Usopp were currently on one of the many shop filled streets of the beautiful island. They've quickly concluded that Fukuma was a fall island, the multicolored nature serving only to empathize the beauty it was revered of. Clothes, shoes and accessories of all kinds and purposes were cheerfully displayed in the shops' windows, giving the onlookers the chance to admire and, for those more courageous, even enter to try them on. Fukuma was famous for its ruthless way of negotiation. Those weak spirited were in danger of being convinced into buying more than half the shop.

Though in this moment, the tall, copper mountain towering over the city only gave the Strawhats' Navigator the feeling of hopelessness.

"Wow, I've never seen so many zeroes!" Usopp exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. Nami reciprocated that feeling. After the initial joy of seeing so many amazing clothes has passed, her eyesight had settled, naturally, on the prices. Needless to say, the Cat thief was not happy by the offers. The clothes, while the dream of any woman - and men, but not her men, because none of those idiots had any fashion sense to begin with, with the exception of probably Sanji - had prices so high, her bounty could not cover some of them.

Deflated by the unfairness of it all, she let herself be dragged around by Luffy and Usopp. The two went with her when they were finished docking, one saying he needed to buy some materials, while the other's reason was more rudimental - "I wanna go adventuring!"

"Woaaaahh!"

Nami blinked, startled from her thoughts by Luffy's extensive word of exclamation. She noted absentmindedly that their sniper had left them, before her eyes settled on his subject of interest and she had to blink because of the goddamn color.

The brightest, most crying tone of red was literally screaming in her face. Her eyes finally adjusting to the crazy color the thing was displaying, the navigator noted it was a coat that resembled that of standard pirates, only better designed of course.

It was long, the material flowing freely down, only being restrained by two golden buttons. The rest were open clasps going halfway down the coat before abruptly ending in a red belt. The shoulders were adorned with golden ornaments and the cuffs were folded out and black in color.

Nami has seen better, but she guessed the material must have been pretty nice. Though she could not see a price displayed anywhere, the orange haired woman was sure it had to cost an arm and more. She was just about ready to go back to the ship. Unfortunately, her captain had other thoughts.

"I want that." Luffy pointed to the window, looking at her with a hurt puppy expression that he learned from Brook. How the skeleton could be so expressive in the first place was lost on her.

Nami was pretty sure they looked like a crying child with his mother, but she wasn't going to buy him something so expensive when she wouldn't buy something for herself with those high prices!

Donning her best civil smile, she tried the impossible. "Luffy, it's too expensive. It looks good but we can't waste so much money. Let's go back to the ship."

It didn't even pass a full minute before Luffy was on her. "But, but, but! Nami..." The black haired boy sniffed, looking like he might cry.

For once in her life, Nami didn't know how to deal with Luffy. Speechless, she stared as her captain made his way back to the shop's window and squatted down, his eyes fixed on the coat. Shaking her head in desperation, the woman resolved to not give in to his whims. They did not have time nor money to waste on this island. With an acrid taste in her mouth, she turned on her heels, intent to continue preparing for their journey ahead.

________________________________________

It was a little before noon when the Strawhats assembled again on the docks. Sunny's form served as a shield against the bright setting sun as each of them stood in a circle looking for their missing captain.

"Where's Luffy?" Zoro's gruff voice clearly gave out that he had been asleep until a while ago.

"Last time I've seen him, he was with Nami on that street filled with shops." Usopp looked at her pointedly. One by one, her friends' stares fixated on her, each with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. The Navigator pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. She had hoped it wouldn't come to this.

________________________________________

True to her instincts, their overactive captain was not in some shady bar or tavern, picking fights and toasting drinks with equally shady characters. Instead, the black haired Devil Fruit user was still seated on the ground in front of the shop window that held the coat.

"So he's been sitting there since this morning." Sanji concluded, taking a long drag of his tobacco.

"Is he okay?" Chopper's face betrayed a hint of worry.

"Better question would be, is he still alive?" Franky asked, making the small reindeer perched on Zoro's shoulder yelp and descend, quickly going to attend to his captain.

"Luffy are you alive? Speak to me!" Chopper shook the boy, successfully capturing his attention.

"Oh, you're here too Chopper?"

Four pairs of eyes blinked simultaneously, their faces displaying various shades of incredulity.

"We're going Luffy." Zoro's eye narrowed on the miserable face his captain did when he heard the phrase.

"But the coat..." Luffy's words would have been lost to the wind, if it weren't for the swordsman's excessively good hearing.

Zoro turned a raised an eyebrow to Nami. "So he wants that coat?"

The woman's expression was grim as she nodded. The green haired man snorted and crossed his arms. "Then buy it and let's go."

He was rewarded with a fist on the head.

"Hell no!" Nami's fist shook as she continued ranting."Do you even realize how much that thing could even cost?! Look," a manicured finger pointed to the glass window, "It doesn't even have a price. I bet your swords it costs double the amount we have!"

"Oi, leave my swords alone." Zoro gritted his teeth placing a protecting hand on the three sheaths.

"So what are we going to do then?" Franky asked, eyeing them both with an expectant expression.

Nami tried to think hard, but her only solutions involved dragging Luffy out of there and it surely was not a good idea no matter how you put it.

"Maybe we can drag him with force?" The blonde haired cook voiced Nami's thoughts.

"Yes and destroy half the island?" The cyan haired carpenter asked sarcastically.

"Just buy him the damn coat Nami!" Zoro bit out, glaring at her.

She glared right back. "Then buy it to him, Zoro."

"I can't 'cause all our damn money are with you!"

"Too bad then." The Navigator huffed, turning around pointedly.

"What are we gonna do?" Chopper moaned.

"Oh, are you the young man's friends?" An older man spoke.

All heads turned towards the shop's entrance where he stood, an amused smile on his face.

"I've been inviting him inside all day to try it on, but he says he doesn't have enough money. Though it looks to me like he doesn't want to take his eyes off of it." The old man laughed. "He kept scaring away all my customers."

"Ah, we are very sorry!" Nami reflexively apologized. She surely did not want to have to pay for missed business too!

"It's no problem." The man waved dismissively."But please let me invite you inside. Maybe this young man will accept my invitation this time, too."

"Luffy," Chopper tugged the other's sleeve insistently. "You can see it better from the inside."

Applauding the doctor's swift thinking, the group, along with an eager Luffy, entered the building.

The shop was smaller that it looked from the outside, but somehow it felt cozier that way. A multitude of different clothes were arranged along the walls and on shelves. Nami noted with a surprised inhale that most of the attires were coats and the like. And most looked to be designed especially for pirates. The old man went through a door in the back, returning after a couple of minutes with a tray filled with tea cups. After they've settled around the small space, he spoke.

"It's truly an honor to have Strawhat Luffy and his crew inside my small shop." He gave a short bark of laughter at their surprised faces. "Even this old man knows his way around the world."

"Ah."

A suffocating silence descended around them, interrupted only by Luffy's constant humming.

Brown eyes studied their host with a curious scrutiny. The man was well over fifty, dressed in casual civilian clothes, red rimmed glasses shielding piercing green eyes. The only thing remotely strange about him were his grey locks of hair that seemed to go in all directions. Talk about bad bed hair.

Their captain's humming stopped abruptly and Nami turned her head to watch in horror as the black haired pirate lifted his hand to touch the red coat that has been his recent obsession.

"Luffy, what are you doing, stop!" The words left her mouth before she could phrase them better, but they had the intended effect. Luffy's hand stopped just shy of touching the red material. He threw a confused glance at the Navigator silently waiting for her to continue. Still partly shocked by her outburst, Nami quickly gathered her thoughts, intent on not letting anything happen on her watch. Her frugal nature took to the forefront of her mind, dead set on not wasting any money if it could be helped.

"Surely that coat is very expensive," The orange head looked at her captain pointedly. Luffy looked at his hand in wonder, like he only now realized it was lifted up. "We're very sorry for that, Mister..."

"Oh, please don't worry about it." The old man released another bark of laughter. "My name is Sayama. It's a honor." He inclined his head a little, making most of them shift uncomfortably.

On normal occasions, civilians did not simply bow like that to well... pirates. There was something more to this man than this, though.

Franky opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Sayama.

"Let's get down to business then." His decisive tone sent a small shiver down Nami's back. Surely, he did not want any money from them...?

Green eyes swiped the room in a rapid glance, before continuing. "I can see that your captain is quite taken with that pirate coat."

"So it's really a pirate one, huh?" Franky grinned.

Sayama nodded before sighing. "Unfortunately for you, it is very expensive. Most expensive one I have in my shop."

Nami groaned. Just great. Another talent to add to Luffy's ever growing list. Choosing to be obsessed over the most expensive piece of clothing, of all things.

"Way over even his bounty." Sayama continued.

"Well, are you going to do something about it?" Zoro glared as he crossed his arms. "Or is that a challenge?"

The old man's smile took on a rueful note. "Not at all. And I will do something about it, indeed." He stood up, crossing the room in three swift strides.

The Strawhats tensed, each of them shifting into an attack stance. The man did not prove too dangerous, but one could never be sure.

Luffy did not seem to acknowledge Sayama, instead he continued to stare at the coat hanged in front of him.

"I consider myself to be an ally of pirates in general. I consider following the path of freedom is one's best way of truly living. In particular, I am actually an avid supporter of the Strawhat pirates."

His declaration was met with silence, none of the pirates in the room seeming to know how to react to this new piece of information. The man did not look unperturbed, rather he had just paused to be dramatic.

Squatting down to Luffy's eye level, he continued, successfully snapping Luffy out of his staring.

"I am willing to offer it to you, but of course for everything there is a price to be payed."

The strawhat wearing captain's face split into a grin. "Sure thing, old man. Name your price!"

"Luffy! I told you-"

"In your case, I can make a fifty percent discount on it, and add to it another eight pieces."

The stunned silence was broken by Usopp's disbelieving remark. "You look pretty serious about this, old man."

Sayama smirked. "'Course I am. Though I have a few conditions."

The man shifted to face them all, hands on his knees.

"I'm going to make you the best dressed crew for this Reverie." Sayama's twinkling gaze shifted to the orange haired woman. He had guessed correctly that she was the brain behind the crew. "In exchange, I want this shack transformed into a castle by your amazing shipwright right here."

Franky's eyebrows shot up, but he remained silent.

"And the materials harvested from the fields up on the mountain. What do you say?"

Nami considered his offer carefully. She tried to objectively balance the pros and cons of the man's offer. Unfortunately, her analytical mind offered her the same answer over and over. Considering the price of the coat, she supposed the man was not bluffing in offering the best materials out there. A fifty percent discount for a price higher than Luffy's bounty was pretty much heaven sent. Despite her actions, she didn't doubt that their captain would literally not be moved from the spot he was currently occupying on the floor without the coat in his hands- or the right motivation to obtain it. This could very well be their only chance. They could lose a day or two around here. And who was she kidding, she really wanted some clothes from this island, so she will take what she can. Still, her inner negotiator could not pass up this opportunity of lowering the price even more. Quickly making up her mind, Nami stepped forward.

"We accept the offer. Though all self- respecting shops have an original banner above the door. Our artist will be making sure to add the final touch to the new masterpiece for another five percent."

Offering her best innocent smile, Nami gestured towards a confused but compliant sniper. Sayama's smirk did not waver and after a moment he nodded.  
"Your services better be top class."

The Strawhats' Navigator grinned. "Top class and more!"

________________________________________

"Oh, we are staying here?" Robin asked over dinner, sipping her tea.

After the deal was sealed, the Strawhats, returned to the Sunny, dragging a complaining Luffy with them. Said captain was eating at his usual impossible speed, though there was an air of hesitancy about him. Robin pounced on it almost immediately.

"Why is Luffy acting so strange?"

Nami sighed. "He's been ogling a super expensive coat all day. I didn't know he could stay put in a place for so long!"

"True. That old man must've done something to him." Franky crossed his arms.

"I don't think that's the reason. Luffy is a more instinctual idiot than most." Sanji commented, placing another plate full of food on the table. It was quickly emptied by the subject of their conversation.

"Then it's the coat. Could it be cursed or something?" Usopp added his thoughts on the subject.

"Let's just ask him." Zoro's eye zeroed in on an oblivious Luffy. "Oi, Luffy. Why do you like that coat so much?"

The strawhat wearer stopped just long enough to catch his breath. His answer was painfully foreseeable.

"Dunno, I just like it."

"So much you gotta stay all day and stare at it?" Franky asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I guess. I just feel like I really gotta have it." With that, he said no more.

"Yohoho, Luffy-san can be such an interesting man sometimes." Brook chuckled.

"Anyway, we gave Sayama-san three days to finish everything." Nami continued as Luffy resumed his eating.

"Hah, the guy almost had a heart attack!" Franky released a short laugh.

"We will take turns in helping him. I took the liberty of dividing the teams." The orange head added, throwing the shipwright a look.

Zoro snorted, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

"We have three days." Nami repeated, hoping to get the info through their heads."Franky and Usopp will work mainly on the shop. The rest of us are going to the fields to harvest those materials. One person will stay on the Sunny to keep guard, with the exception of Luffy- I won't leave him all alone on a ship." Brown eyes narrowed on their captain. "Any ship." She added as an afterthought.

Everyone nodded their consent and the chatter rose up in volume as both parties discussed their new action plans.

________________________________________

"Excuse me, are you perhaps Pirate Hunter Zoro?"

The young man in front of him looked at the wanted poster in his hands - his wanted poster - and then looked back up at him with shy brown eyes that made Zoro dance between being exaggeratedly irritated and feeling like he kicked a puppy by just standing there. The awkward silence stretched on and the swordsman wanted to just feel sorry for the guy, but instead ended up feeling sorry for his own self. The teen in front of him looked like he expected an answer and, were it not for the obvious photo of his face on the poster, he would have let it slide, but in this case he concluded that the brown haired guy either had a mental problem or was simply a big ass stupid idiot.

_Nailed that insult._

"Yeah, I am." His gruff reply seemed to physically shove the guy as he took a step back, his smile wavering.

"I... have been sent by Sayama- sensei... I, uh... am actually here abouttheclothes."

The last three words were so glued together, Zoro could never hope to understand. It did not help that the guy was taking too long to speak. The moss haired man did not have the attention nor the time for this shit.

"Whatever, if you want to speak with someone that cares, climb up there and search for Nami."

Another silence descended as the guy clearly debated with himself what to do, before he opened his mouth to speak again. Zoro almost groaned.

"A- actually I am here for you. Sayama- san sent us to ask each of you a few questions."

Zoro lifted an eyebrow in further inquiry.

"Yo- you see, we can make the clothes many times better if we know the customers personally. It's been a tradition on Fukuma since long ago. This is how the best clothes are made- through personalization."

The scaredy-cat looked to be gaining more courage as he spoke, finishing with a determined expression doubled by a polite smile. The guy wasn't a complete wuss, Zoro could give him the credit. But what he had said still sounded to the swordsman like complete bullshit.

"Do we really have to do that?" The pirate's languid expression was all the needed confirmation that Zoro truly wanted to be left alone.

"My name is Rei. It's a honor to work with you." The wuss seemed to be having none of it, though.

His personality did a fucking one eighty, what's with this guy?!

Heaving a sight, Zoro let himself be dragged to a nearby bench along the docks. Rei seated himself on one end, while his charge took the other. The younger man took out a pencil and a small notebook and positioned himself to write. What, Zoro was dreading the answer.

"So, let's start from your ambition. You want to be the Greatest Swordsman..."

________________________________________

Robin smiled watching the brown haired kid get an earful from Zoro. They looked to be having fun. She's been confused where the other had gone since they were the last ones on the ship. Earlier this morning, the crew had drawn straws to choose the order for guarding the Sunny and somehow she'd found herself on guard duty again.

The green haired swordsman had been the last to leave. Truth be told, the archaeologist had been a little concerned, considering his crippled sense of direction. Truly a wonder how he managed to find his way again. Knowing time was of the essence, Robin told Zoro she would be guiding his way- in a much more subtle manner, of course. God only knows a man's pride.

"Well, I guess I better get down to work, too."

"Whooooo, so big!" Luffy's cry was lost in a strong gust of wind, passing over the fields and the island.

After enduring a half an hour trek through the woods and a hike up the almost perpendicular mountain wall, 'The harvesting team' had finally arrived at the top. Wide fields of multicolored plants and bushes greeted them, swaying with the breeze. Surprisingly, there were many people there, locals with their own businesses, harvesting just like they were about to do.

Eyes wide in wonder, Luffy followed their guide, Reika. They bypassed a few fields surrounded by fence, finally stopping at a similar one, sporting all kinds of multicolored plants. One look at the small wooden board at the entrance, Nami confirmed it was really Sayama's field.

"For your clothes, you should harvest this part of the field." The chestnut haired girl thrust a stick into the ground. "Until here, I guess. Just take the colored tops of the plants. Under no circumstance, uproot one." Her tone took on a severe note, making them gulp and nod.

"These fluffy things up above them, right?" The straw hat wearer asked, playing with a red top.

" Yep. Well then, while you are harvesting, I'm going to ask each one of you something in private."

"Eh, what do you want to ask?" Chopper's wide, curious eyes made the girl grin.

"You'll find out soon."

________________________________________

"You sure you want a castle, old man?" Usopp scratched his head as he surveyed the available space they could use. The shop was small, as they've seen yesterday too. It wouldn't be a problem to enlarge it, but being pitted between two other shops did not help much. And being between two main shopping streets did not help at all.

"Maybe we could build vertically instead." Franky scratched his chin, looking ready for the challenge.

The Strawhats' sniper seemed to entertain this idea as well. "That might work. How much up do you want us to go, old man?"

Sayama adjusted his glasses and looked at his shop with a critical light in his green gaze. "I don't have that many clothes to sell, so I suppose you could just add one more floors. I'm sure I can find something to do with it."

Both inventors looked at each other and nodded, before turning back to look at the house in disrepair.

"No use discussing details now. We're just gonna figure it out on the way." Usopp grinned, rolling up his cardigan's sleeves.

"You tell 'em, Bro!" Franky cracked his knuckles, mirroring his friend's grin.

________________________________________

The three days allocated for the completion of the clothes passed on rather quickly, and soon enough, the Strawhat pirates found themselves seated in the new, three storey building that housed the 'Kaizoku no Fuku' shop.

The former shack had been upgraded to an amazing degree, looking close to a mansion's interior.

Now it really looks like a shop deserving of this island. Nami smiled to herself as she sank deeper in the comfy sofa. Next to her, she felt Robin follow her lead, thus making Zoro release a growl out in frustration. Somehow, he had found himself sitting next to the archaeologist with an overexcited Chopper to boot, in between them.

On the opposite sofa were Sanji, Franky, Usopp and Brook. The blonde cook looked to be caught in between laughing at him and cursing his ancestors, for he stood too close to Robin-chwan.

Rolling his only eye, the swordsman cast a look at his captain sitting on the floor near the shop's window. Luffy was staring at the coat again. Brows furrowing, Zoro realized that the coat was still on display. Could the old man have another one, or did he make a new one?

_If he lied to us I'll kill 'im._

"Hmm, thank you for the money." Sayama closed the suitcase and deposited it in Rei's hands. The teen rushed in the back, presumably to hide the large sum.  
The girl, Reika, stepped up holding three boxes. Near her feet were another five, all stacked one above the other.

She stepped towards Nami first, offering it with a "I hope you'll like it."

That was pretty much how it went for all of them, each getting their own box of surprises.

"Based on your answers I have made the best I could offer." Sayama smiled at each of them before stepping forward to their captain. In his hands was another box, a skull with a strawhat imprinted on its lid.

"I do hope, for your Navigator's sanity, that you don't want that coat too, Luffy-san." The old man laughed as Nami's face turned into a mask of horror.

Luffy turned around and grinned. "Nah, I was just lookin' at it. You promised to make mine more awesome after all, old man. Shishishi."

"And I did just that." Sayama placed the box in front of Luffy and stepped back, taking out a pair of black pants from his back pocket.

"I've heard you like meat so much it's become almost an obsession." The man began, grinning at the scandalized look on the teen's face."For that matter I have developed a new technology that you might find useful."

Rei handed him a piece of meat the size of Franky's fist. At the sight of it, the black haired captain started to salivate, though before he could jump for it, the inviting food had been already deposited in an oversized pocket of the pants. The bulk looked almost comical, but before anyone could comment on it, the lump shrank until it became no more than a small deformation, almost invisible.

"Double hidden pocket that shrinks. Elastic material and it's comfortable, too." Franky whistled, looking impressed.

"I hope you'll find it useful." Sayama's smile paled in comparison to Luffy's enormous grin.

"Looks awesome, old man!"

"Nami-san, here." Reika handed the orange head a small, transparent case with colorful thread inside. Thin eyebrows lifted up in silent question.

"For small cuts and such. Only use this please." The girl explained.

Sayama nodded. "If it's a big tear make sure to send it here. Repairs and replacement is free. Our Vivre Card is inside the case."

Nami nodded, smiling.

"That's what I call good business."

________________________________________

"Sayama-san."

The grey haired man turned around to the sight of Nico Robin's polite smile. Behind her, the Strawhat crew's backs were shrinking, getting more and more far away.

"Your crew's leaving you behind."

"I wouldn't worry about such an impossible thing." The black haired woman laughed quietly. Suddenly, her expression turned serious and she regarded him with a guarded gaze.

"I understand that you have proclaimed yourself an ally of pirates, but my curiosity would not settle with that. Why the Strawhats?"

Sayama sighed, his hands going to his hips. His head dropped backwards to look at the twinkling night sky above them. Beautiful as always.

"Years ago, when I was just a disciple, a man came to this island and entered my master's shop. He wasn't famous... yet."

Green eyes glazed over, moving far away back in time.

"My master was the best at negotiating back then, feared through the island. He and that man had bargained for a whole damn week, and in the end he won." A chuckle erupted from his chest. "Call it a hunch." The old man looked back at the archaeologist.

"I've promised myself long ago that whenever the next Pirate King rises, I will be making him those clothes. I've placed my bet now," Twinkling emerald looked at Luffy's jumping back. "He better be fulfilling his dream."

"Of course." Robin's smile was back. "That's the only constant in this world, after all."

"Ah. Please give Rayleigh this if you see him."

Blue eyes widened at the bulky package.

"It's a promise I haven't been able to fulfill for a long time." The older man explained and Robin did not pry for any more answers.

Cradling the package more securely, she started towards the Thousand Sunny.

________________________________________

"All hands on deck, we're sailing full speed to Meimeishima!" Nami's voice was heard along the ship, immediately followed by a string of "Aye!"

Luffy sat down on the lion's head quietly, staring at the dimly lit horizon. The sun had not even risen, yet the pirates were prepared to leave the island as quickly as possible. They've spent too much time here and their destination was a good three days ahead, if not more- depending on New World's unpredictable waters.

Usopp almost did a double take, looked again, rubbing at his eyes just to be sure. Usually- who was he kidding, always- their captain would jump up and down, run like an idiot around the ship and yell orders whenever they set sail. Contrary to normal times, Luffy was just standing there with a blank face. Staring.

_This image is so wrong._

Looking around, the sniper realized they were already far away from the island, the Sunny steadily gaining speed with the strong wind. Concluding that Nami did not need any help besides Franky at the helm, he made his way to the figurehead.

"Yo, Luffy. 'Sup?" The casual question was met with a prolonged silence.

As if awakened from a deep sleep, Luffy's head started to turn slowly towards him. His eyes were half closed, his expression a mix between sad and tired. Was he sad that they have left Fukuma?

"Ah, I was just thinking." The captain said, stifling a yawn. "I should stop before I fall asleep, though."

A thick vein appeared on Usopp's head and he slapped Luffy on the head.

"That's the big problem?!"

Sighing, but inwardly happy that Luffy's regained his usual grin, Usopp watched him as the black haired teen trotted over to Robin.

"Robin, how much does the Reverie last?"

If the archaeologist was surprised at the random question, she did not show it. Instead, the black haired woman smiled and motioned for her captain to take a seat next to her on the bench around the foremast.

"In the Reverie are discussed many important things that usually need time. Many rulers have different opinions, after all. I say it lasts about three days. But it always depends on many things." Robin explained slowly, knowing that tons of explanations would do her captain no good.

Luffy nodded, his arms crossed over his chest. "I see."

"Can he?" Sanji exhaled, watching the situation with an incredulous face. A few feet from him Zoro snorted, obviously thinking along those lines.

"Why the sudden interest?" Sky blue eyes tried to search for an answer in the other's gaze, but found nothing.

He's back to normal.

"Just askin'." Luffy grinned. "All right guys, full speed to Merry Island!"

"IT'S MEIMEI!"

________________________________________

"He's planning something." Sanji flicked his cigarette into the ashtray.

"Definitely." Franky agreed, slurping his Cola. Next to him, Nami heaved a sigh.

"I cannot disagree with you on this one."

"Yohoho, I am very curious to see what he plans." Brook said as he sipped his tea. Chopper whimpered and bit his lip.

"You think it's gonna be dangerous?"

Though he knew the answer.

"Definitely." Everyone gathered around the table agreed, each face grimmer than the last.

"Probably been concocting it all morning." Usopp commented. "He told me he was thinking. However you put it, that means bad things!" The sniper almost shrieked.

"Chill down idiot, he's gonna hear you and wake up." Zoro growled from the door.

The crew has gathered in the dining room after their captain had finally fallen asleep and were discussing their -probably doomed- future.

Surprisingly, it took Luffy almost one full hour to fall asleep- a bored Usopp had counted- and they only had a good two hours left before the strawhat wearing teen came marching in the kitchen in search of nightly food.

The full moon shined through the window, giving the dimly lit room an eerie atmosphere.

"Well?" Robin urged when the silence became too heavy.

"I don't get why all of you are so concerned about this. What could be the worst thing happening?" Zoro crossed his arms.

"I don't know, dying?!" Usopp managed to keep his voice down to a minimum lest he risked the swordsman's wrath.

"Let's make it more realistic here, we are the Strawhat pirates that came back from the dead after two years." Robin smiled.

"Fine. Almost dying?!" The sniper repeated his earlier outcry.

"C'mon we are talking about Luffy here. He won't stop until he picks a fight with the whole world, righ-" Franky's jaw snapped shut with a metallic sound.  
Silence, then-

"Shit." The shipwright finished lamely.

"There, that's the worst thing that can happen. Too bad, so sad, I guess. Can I go now?" Zoro spoke over Usopp, Nami and Chopper's whispered cries of pain and sorrow. His deadpan voice was not helping.

"This time I'll be on this side as well." Robin's eyes sparkled. "I can't wait."

"What kind of attitude is that?!"

"Yohoho~"

________________________________________

Meimei Island was, just as the name implied, an invisible island. The ships and their navigators had to be on their toes at all times in its archipelago. Besides its curious, invisible form, the island was moving constantly in a fixed circle so no one could exactly determine where it was.

When it did appear, Nami almost had a heart attack. Their speed had been at a minimum, but upon entering its gravitational field, the land was closer than expected, not to mention the ships crowding the shores did not make it easier.

Nami had never seen so many ships docked on an island at the same time. This only served to further underline the impact of the Reverie for the pirate world. After a fruitless search for twenty minutes, the Sunny was finally docked on the western shore.

Meimeishima was not big, nor did it have mountains and any other landforms besides a river that passed through it, almost splitting it in half. The thin forest was the only shelter for its life forms. And currently, the place was full of pirates.

The Navigator could confess that she had not seen this many pirates either. There were some familiar faces from the bounty posters, but not close acquaintances.  
"I can't see Torao-san either." Robin stepped closer to the railing, surveying the place with an interested glint in her eyes.

Their shore had been modified by the pirate crews into a huge party, fighting ring and bar, all in one. There were three Den Den Mushi of different sizes that will be probably used for watching the Reverie. Gun, swordfights and laughter could be heard coming from the island.

"This looks like a super party!" Franky exclaimed, his grin slowly melting into an excited expression.

"Heh, this place looks to be holding some alcohol." Zoro stepped on the railing, clearly intending to jump off the ship, but a slim hand stopped him mid-way. The first mate looked at his captain, his message stated clear in his narrowed eye.

Luffy glared back, surprising both of them.

"We're staying on the ship." With that, he returned to his favorite spot.

The crew was left behind to question the reality of the situation.

Luffy wants to stay on the ship when there's an island full of pirates and fights and adventure.

"Shit, we're gonna die." Sanji grunted, not even trying to sound concerned.

________________________________________

_"Nooooo..."_

"The fuck?" Trafalgar Law looked up to the sky, wondering what on earth was that scream. Shaking his head, he decided it was probably nothing and made to return to his submarine.

Only to pause mid-step and turn back around towards the place the sound came from.

_Goddammit._

"Bepo and the other two idiots. Come with me."

"Aye, Captain." The polar bear lifted a paw, jogging to catch up along with a pair of sad looking pirates behind him.

________________________________________

Law had probably heard wrong. He was sure of it. Yet he would not risk it. Last time he checked, Strawhat-ya wasn't here yet.

Easily making his way through the foliage, the quartet arrived on the western shore. The Thousand Sunny and another hundreds of pirates were the sight that greeted him. Deft eyes hunted the idiot's crew but found none of them. He would have concluded they must've left when another wail came. That's when he realized the situation was worse than he thought.

_They are staying on the fucking ship when there's an island full of trouble. What the fuck's wrong with them?!_

"What is it captain?" Bepo asked, seeing his boss's face scrunched up in something between disgust, horror and a little bit of worry.

"We are probably about to witness the most idiotic outcome in the history of the Reverie."

His declaration only served to further confuse his crewmates, but Law did not have time for dilly- dallying.

"Let me offer my condolences."

________________________________________

Zoro downed his third bottle of sake when the knocking came. It started slowly, but gradually grew into an annoying hell. Swearing under his breath, the swordsman stood up and glared over the railing.

"Glad to see you too, Roronoa." Law rolled his eyes at the display.

Zoro's eyebrows lifted up in surprise. "Never thought I'm gonna see you again, Torao."

"Life is full of surprises. Mind getting us up?"

Quickly counting his choices, the first mate grudgingly made his way to get the ladder.

"Torao, it's good to see you!" Luffy jumped up and down around his ally, grinning.

He's behaving like always, too. 

Law was having none of it. "What are you planning?"

As one, the Strawhat crew's eyes zeroed in on him. The glares thrown that day will leave a burn for sure.

Wide, innocent eyes blinked, looking at the older man in wonder. "What are you talking about, Torao? Are you okay?"

"Don't mess with me!" The Heart Pirates' captain gritted his teeth in annoyance. "Your damn behavior stinks of a stupid plan. What mess are you planning on orchestrating again, Strawhat-ya?!"

"This guy's pushing it too far..." Sanji mumbled, flicking his cigarette. He made to move, but Nami's hand on his forearm halted his advances.

"Let's see what Luffy really wants."

"Hmm, dunno." Luffy grinned and turned around, lifting one hand up in a wave. "So don't worry, okay?"

Law clenched his fists. The Strawhats' captain was making it look like he had all the time in the world while poorly attempting at lying to him.  
"You think that's gonna cut it?!"

His yell was louder than anticipated. The dark haired teen stopped and turned back around. His smile was gone, replaced by a placid look.

"You sound to me like you wanna take part in this mess." His tone held a gram of teasing.

His remark rendered Law speechless. Though he should have expected it. Spending so much time with the Strawhats had transformed him into a reckless idiot too!

"Hell no." Thankfully his voice was devoid of any of his inner conflict. "I just came to offer your crew my condolences."

His gaze swept past them as he made his way back to the ladder.

"Strawhat-ya."

"Yeah?"

"If you get sent to Impel Down I'll become a Shichibukai again just so I can go rub it in your face."

Luffy mirrored Law's grin with a wide one of his own and laughed.

"You'll just get arrested too!"

________________________________________

"Oi, isn't that Strawhat Luffy's ship?" One of the two pirates sitting near the edge of the forest asked his companion as they watched the Heart Pirates descend from the ship. At first they've been confused by the appearance of the too-colorful brig sloop, but the mystery was quickly solved.

"Yeah. Seems like he still has it with Trafalgar Law." The other took a swing of his bottle. "Roronoa's 'ere too."

"Ah. And that Devil child, Nico Robin."

A moment of silence passed before one of them spoke again.

"You think we shou' tell the others?"

His companion took one last look at the ship before shaking his head. "The whole island prob' knows. I don' think they're staying 'ere, tho."

Seeing no use in arguing with the drunkard sitting next to him, the second pirate downed the rest of his alcohol and let the subject drop.

________________________________________

_"The Reverie is currently under way as we speak."_ The blonde haired woman reported to the whole world. Behind her, a crowd of people were gathered in the Sabaody Archipelago, civilians, bounty hunters and pirates alike waiting for the conclusion of the most important meeting.

_"The atmosphere is suffocating here. The whole world is awaiting with bated breath the result of the World Council."_

Murmurs erupted across the beach, spreading throughout the small island like a wave of sound, enveloping everything it touched.

It made Usopp uncomfortable, but he gritted his teeth and carried on. He shifted in his seat on the floor in front of his branch office. The sniper tried being productive, but all the nervousness rendered him unable to do anything but twiddle with a few broken pieces. With nothing else to do, the incredible volume emitted by the Den Den Mushi forced him to pay attention.

At this point, all the Strawhats were more or less prepared for the obvious topic about them that will be discussed at the Reverie. And most of them were not looking forward to that. What was worse, they also partially realized their captain's plan. Of course, nothing was set in stone with Luffy at the helm- they've learned that from first-hand experience- but the weight of the situation had yet to completely hit them.

Through his life, Brook had seen his fair share of Reveries. And if not directly seen them, then he sure had heard about them. Those Councils never did sit right with him. He was a pirate too, after all. Now that he sat down and thought about it, he realized this Council would probably do them more good than bad. His unwavering trust in his captain aside, the skeleton knew that whatever Luffy's plan was, it would probably scare the rest of the world and make them even more feared- which coincidentally, was never on Luffy's list to begin with. Brook thought back to the late pirates from years long passed and their cheers as the World Council finished without mention of their name. Or in special cases, cheers for having their name mentioned. The musician wasn't sure if having your name spoken throughout the world was better or just being out of the Governments' radars, which was unarguably safer. But then he realized he should not concern himself with these things, he will find out anyway in a short while.

________________________________________

_"Just yesterday, the Reverie had begun and now it has reached its peak!"_ The blonde reporter exclaimed in a dramatic fashion, her glasses glinting in the sun. Behind her, the crowd today was even more restless than yesterday. The people gathered in the plaza were murmuring amongst themselves, creating a large humming sound that made Luffy's ears ring.

The black haired teen stood in his favorite spot on Sunny's head, arms crossed and an inexplicable blank expression on his face. Black eyes watched the woman on the monitors carefully. If what Robin told him last night was true, then today is the most important day.

_"On the second day are usually debated the most important cases about world criminals."_

It was almost noon by now, judging by the sun's shine. Ignoring his grumbling stomach, Luffy tried to concentrate on the monitors, waiting. He was sure it'll come. Their call, that is.

________________________________________

_"The discussion for today is over! We will now be moving near Mariejois, where the messenger sent from the council will make his speech."_

The same woman as yesterday spoke. There was a shuffle as the signal from the snail got cut off. Before long, it returned, this time displaying another sight. In front of a large, golden gate, was placed a long table covered with a white tablecloth. On the chair behind it was sitting a man. He had his face covered by a black mask and wore a white long robe with a large hood over his head.

In front of the platform where the table was placed on, another crowd of people could be seen through the eyes of the Den Den Mushi. After a few minutes of silence, the man at the table bent forward to the small Den Den Mushi on the table acting like a microphone.

_"Greetings. I will start relaying the most important discussions from the Reverie."_

"It's beginning." Nami's small voice seemed to cut through the startling silence that had settled over Meimeishima. Luffy's eyes remained focused on the monitors.  
The first few pieces of news he began explaining did not interest the Devil Fruit user in the least. He almost started pacing around, but held himself firm. If he wanted his plan to work, he had to make sure he was doing it right. This was an important part. The waiting was almost driving him nuts, though.

_"I will start on the subject of the world wanted criminals."_

Several millions didn't dare breath.

_"Starting with the up and coming pirate crews that have given the Government more trouble than it's worth. The Blackbeard pirates have been officially added on the Death Priority List. The same has been applied to the Strawhat pirates and..."_

Everyone on the beach in front of them looked towards the colorful ship with varying degrees of grim expressions. Most of the pair of eyes thrust upon the now-feared crew widened when they saw the world-large grin on the captain's face.

Luffy did not need to hear anything else. Standing up so quickly he almost jumped and successfully startling his crew, he shouted as loud as he could.

"RAISE THE SAILS!"

A moment of stunned confusion passed through the Strawhats before everyone scrambled to prepare the ship for sailing. Zoro was the first to snap out of it, quickly starting to the mast and dragging a frozen Usopp with him. Franky took the helm and with Nami's directions, they were out of the island's magnetic field in less than an hour.

During this time, Luffy had made a few calls, helped by Robin on how to operate the thing faster. His skills with the snails was mediocre on the best of days. Though today was one, he wouldn't take risks. Now that everything was set, he just had to wait.

Nami eyed her captain from her place next to the helm and swore quietly. She didn't know the scatter-brained fool was capable of such feat that this plan seemed to be.

"I've set the course for Sabaody. We should arrive sometime at lunch tomorrow, captain." She spoke aloud for everyone on board to hear.

Luffy's grin was almost palpable. "Good! Jinbei's coming to pick us up."

With those words, the entire wave of what their captain just got them into hit the Strawhat crew like a refreshing wake up call.

________________________________________

"King Neptune is there too. I'm curious how the negotiations are going." Jinbei spoke as he watched the ship descend to towards the ocean's bottom.

"I'm sure the old guy is doing just fine." Luffy said from next to him.

The Fishman studied him quietly, inwardly noticing that for all his happy call yesterday, he was not so happy about the news. Of course Jinbei knew. He was watching the Reverie along with everyone on Fishman Island. The older man had not been in the least surprised by their decision.

"You don't look happy to me, Luffy. Not liking the fame anymore?"

The black haired teen grimaced. "It's not that."

"Then?" Jinbei urged, his stare getting more suspicious.

"I dunno how to begin my speech."

The ex-Shichibukai almost rolled his eyes.

_I knew it._

"You are not in the least worried that now the Government and anyone else that can hold a gun will be on your tails?"

"Nope." The younger man replied, a smile breaking across his face. "I don't like what I'm about to do, but I've gotta show those bastards that we're not just some names on their list."

Raising an eyebrow, Jinbei decided to let the subject drop. It was no use arguing with Luffy anyway. He returned to his thoughts and the approaching Fishman Island.

________________________________________

"You heard 'em boys!" An obnoxious voice yelled, thrusting a hand in the air. "We've gotta show them who they're fighting against!"

A deep sigh erupted from the other side of the room. "You sure are an idiot."

"What did you say you-"

"But I say we do it." Another voice chirped. "Maybe we will see Uso-land and Luffy-land again."

"I'm with the little man." A rough voice commented.

Cavendish looked ready to argue further, but the green haired man was already out the door.

"LET'S GET GOING MEN!"

________________________________________

The sun was high up in the sky and the crowds were restless. Those were the two things Rayleigh first noticed when he stepped out of Shakky's Rip-off bar. The gentle breeze blowing from the ocean rustled the trees' leaves, an eerie sound when combined with the constant murmuring. The First Mate of the Roger pirates had never seen in all the years he had been living in the Archipelago, so many people there at once. And that was an understatement, considering that the Sabaody Islands were always crowded by travelers.

"Something feels off today." The black haired woman commented from behind him.

"Why are you saying that, Shakky?" The older man looked back in question.

The barmaid took a long drag from her cigarette before answering. "Woman's intuition."

"Then I should stay out of trouble. Your intuition is as sharp as ever, if we judge what happened with Luffy-kun two years ago."

"Speaking of which, have you heard anything new about them?"

A grey eyebrow lifted up in surprise. "Besides the news from yesterday, no. Why?" Rayleigh repeated his earlier question.

Shakky shrugged. "Curiosity, I guess."

_Curiosity and intuition all at once means this day must be more dangerous than I first thought._

________________________________________

"Sabaody on the horizon!" Usopp yelled from his station in the Crow's Nest.

Luffy was thankful for their sniper's sharp eyes. Now they had time to prepare concordantly. Sitting up slowly, he made his way to the men's quarters. His friends watched him carefully, anticipating his next move.

Hand on the knob, the black haired captain turned towards them and asked, grinning. "You're not gonna go get ready? We've almost arrived."

Understanding the silent order, the pirates scrambled to get themselves fixed.

________________________________________

"Sometimes Luffy's instincts are too accurate." Nami sighed, lifting her box on the bed. "Or maybe it's just insane luck." She continued thoughtfully.

"Either way," Robin smiled, opening her own box, "he made sure we will look good."

The Navigator snorted. "I'm surprised that was even on his list."

The archaeologist's reply was drowned out as the orange haired woman lifted the lid of her present and peered in curiously. She didn't have any time to look at the new clothes since they've left Fukuma. Light brown eyes widened as she took in the colored material.

Wow.

They were amazing. She hadn't believed that the old man could make something like this. Her new attire consisted of a short waist length, cream colored jacket with two small, orange front pockets. An orange colored swimsuit bra with a cute polka dots model and a pair of black jeans with three orange circles that must have been inspired by her favorite jeans. All of them were made from the same material. Nami couldn't put a name on it, but it was flexible and looked resistant. Just perfect for defying the Government... again.

_"So you like to grow oranges and your dream is to draw a map of the world?"_

_"Yeah, that's pretty much it. How's that gonna help you to make those clothes, though?"_

_There was a beat of silence before she spoke._

_"Last question, miss Nami. How would you describe yourself in contrast to your crew?"_

_Brown eyes blinked. Her mind trying to conjure an answer for a few moments before she settled with her only existent thought on the matter._

_"Sometimes I feel like I'm the only sane one."_

On the other side of the bed, Robin smiled and tried on her new purple jacket. It was not unlike her other one, with short sleeves and zipper, but somehow she felt better wearing it, more comfortable. The long black skirt was next, along with a thick purple belt adorned with white flowers. The last accessory left in the box was a black cowboy hat, reminiscent to the one she had wore in Alabasta.

_"The Poneglyphs are important right?"_

_"Yes, history is important. Humans will always strive to know more about where they come from."_

_"Would you say the same about yourself?"_

_A sad smile bloomed on the woman's face._

_"I've had my fair share of answers about that. From now on I will strive for the future."_

________________________________________

Sanji scratched his head, looking at the box in wonder. He had conflicted feelings about opening it, considering how bad his 'interview' went. He hadn't been in a pretty bad mood back then.

Cringing , he decided to get it over with. At first sight, he concluded it wasn't that bad. It seemed like those guys were really good at what they were doing.  
Lifting the dark blue jacket to his eye level, the cook studied it carefully, before moving to the black waiter uniform. It looked normal.

Sighing in relief, the blonde moved on to study the dark blue shirt, the same color as the jacket and a black tie. They were made from a durable material, Sanji was sure of that. It also felt like it could stretch, which was a plus. The last item in the box was a fashionable hat , the same model that Sanji had admired a while back but never got around to buying it. It was also the same color as the jacket. Those guys really had dressed them well.

_"Your dream is to find All Blue?"_

_"Yeah." Seeing the disbelieving look on the other's face, Sanji felt the need to add. "Got a problem with that, pipsqueak?"_

_The boy's eyebrows shot up. "I always thought it was more of a legend."_

_"Legend or no legend, I'm gonna find it."_

_"Is that the reason you became a pirate, then?"_

_"More or less."_

_A beat of silence passed and the cook knew that he did not offer any interesting answers but he could care less._

_Chestnut locks shifted, their owner looking up from his notes._

_"So you are helping Luffy-san to accomplish his dream and then he'll help you accomplish your... dream?"_

_The cook's visible eye narrowed, before his face morphed into a relaxed expression. Leaning back in his chair, he took a long drag from his tobacco.  
"Let's get this straight pipsqueak. I'm gonna find All Blue. And if not, then Luffy will sure as hell do."_

Zoro watched the shitty cook battling with himself like an idiot. The swordsman snorted but decided to say nothing. He was in no mood to quarrel with such a miserable looking person. Turning his attention back to the box on his bunk bed, his interview fleetingly entered his mind. He was not sure what to expect, since all he did in that interview was answer some rudimental questions.

_"So, let's start from your ambition. You want to be the Greatest Swordsman, right?"_

_The older man grunted. "Yeah."_

_The guy scribbled down something before lifting his head up again._

_"Is your favorite color," Rei hesitated for a moment, "green?"_

_"Dunno." Zoro shrugged. "I don't have anything against it."_

_"That's good." The younger boy laughed a little awkwardly._

_"Since you are the First Mate, have you ever felt your captain unfit for his, well, job?"_

_Zoro's lips pressed tightly, a dangerous glint entering his eyes. "If he's ever gonna be, I'll kill 'im."_

_The hell are those questions got to do with new clothes?_

A hand reached out to lift the lid. The color green greeted him back. Lifting the object carefully, the swordsman realized it was a coat. Long, dark green with a white dragon embroidering. Taking another look inside the box, he found out that the coat wasn't the only item placed there. The next thing he picked up was a coat resembling his older one. It had the edges outlined with golden thread and a double black layer of material that was a little longer. Carefully putting them on, Zoro's eye went to the last thing in the carton package: a blood red sash.

_Tsk._

________________________________________

Brook twirled, probing his new clothes with newfound interest. He was really amazed- and secretly happy- that his black pirate coat was really light. It felt like a feather on his bony shoulders. The long material flowed smoothly as he moved, its golden lined edges and large belt giving the pirate the feeling that he must've looked really fashionable.

"Not only that, but Sayama- san and the kids made me a new suit as well. Such nice people." The skeleton commented absently, still probing his clothes.

_"I've never heard of such thing, but it's amazing!"_

_"Yohoho, indeed. I don't regret eating it."_

_"So after you meet up with your friend, what will you do?" The younger girl asked, her face an excited mask of hope._

_Brook paused to think, though the subject made him really uncomfortable. He always tried to avoid it, even if it was inevitable. Truthfully speaking, he was not sure. On one hand, he was sure his meeting with Laboon would not last only a few hours or a day, there were many things to be said and told about. Luffy-san and the others could not stay such a long time, he was sure. But on the other hand, he didn't think he would be able to leave them. Brook knew it might be a painful decision, but he had faith that when that moment came, he would have his answer. Though one thing was sure in his case._

_"If it will be possible, I would like to continue on with Luffy-san and the others."_

_"I see. So your journey won't end when you meet Laboon, like you said."_

_"Ah, no. I'm sure it would just begin!"_

Chopper looked up at Brook when the quiet became unbearable. The skeleton seemed lost in his thoughts so the doctor supposed it couldn't be helped.  
With a giddiness associated only with children, the small reindeer lifted the lid on his box and peered inside. A delighted squeal exited his mouth at the sight. Small hoofs grasped a pair of dark pink pants and a white shirt; a black sleeveless jacket was put over it. Taking a step back he studied himself in the mirror. His smile dropped a little as a though occurred to him. Feeling the material, the doctor concluded that it might be flexible enough. His mouth became a thin line, but Chopper wasn't going to let this bring down his mood. If it proved to not be flexible enough, then he would send it back to the old man to fix it. He had told Reika about his transformations though...

_"Wow, you're really amazing Chopper!"_

_"What are you saying, idiot?! I don't want to hear your blabbering!" The small reindeer exclaimed as he danced happily around his chair. The brown haired girl giggled before launching another question._

_"So you get bigger, too?"_

_"Yep, and small and normal, all kinds of sizes!" The reindeer exclaimed, throwing his hoofs in the air._

_"I see." Reika's eyes twinkled. "This truly feels like a challenge."_

________________________________________

Franky studied his new, flexible jacket and slips, a grin slowly forming across his face. That sly old man really goddamn did it.

_"I actually had a request for you."_

_"Well, let's hear it." The mechanic placed his tool down, his attention focused on his client._

_"I want an underground room that will act as a safe. For safe storing... and other things." Sayama's eyes lighted up with an indiscernible light._

_Franky crosses his arms, a thoughtful look on his face. "That'll be pretty hard to make, old man. But I'm gonna take the shot. In exchange," The teal haired man scratched his head as he searched for ideas. A sudden thought hit him. "We'll do it only if you manage to make those clothes the same exact color as my hair."  
"What kind of reason is that?!" Usopp's exclamation went unheard by the two men._

_Without battling an eyelash, Sayama bent to his bag on the ground and took out a cyan colored material from inside. "Will this do, Franky-san?"_

_The shipwright whistled, looking impressed. "Safe with locks or a code?"_

_He didn't have anything to say to that._

Franky's grin expanded, going as far as his captain's even.

"This will look super on me!"

Ignoring the damn loud shout coming from behind him, Usopp looked at his yellow jacket that Sayama explained it would resist to any explosion. The sniper sincerely doubted it but he had nodded his head anyway. No use in arguing with the old man. Next went a pair of brown rolled up pants with a black belt. He put them on quickly. From habit, he put his red strips on, too. Sayama would probably curse him for destroying his look, but he didn't care. His gear and jacket on, he placed his upgraded sun cap on his head and made his way to the upper-deck.

_"The sniper is the most vulnerable one. If you're gonna be the best sniper then I'm going to make you the most guarded one."_

No use in dwelling on the past- as near as it was.

________________________________________

Grin still in place, Luffy watched himself in the small mirror and grinned even more. His long red coat almost reached his ankles, but it was a perfect fit. Under it, Sayama made him a red sleeveless shirt, similar with the one he usually wore bound with a long, red and yellow sash and those awesome-pocketed black pants. Lastly, he took out the 'bonus' accessory and after fumbling a little bit, he clasped it in place and made a pose in the mirror. The red material covered his left shoulder going as far down as the coat. It had golden stitched edges and their Jolly Roger on it.

"I look awesome!"

"Luffy, are you ready?" Nami's voice stopped him short.

Scrambling to exit the small storage room he had placed his box in, he announced. "Hell yeah! Let's go!"

________________________________________

The blonde reporter, Ayama watched as her colleague double checked the Large Den Den Mushi that transmitted the news she was reporting on a global scale. The thing was bigger than life- an exaggeration on her part- but worked wonderfully.

"All right. Everything seems good."

Ayama nodded, looking back at the throngs of people populating the plaza. This is how it's been for the last two days. Today was the last day of the Reverie and everyone was anxious to see how it will end. Until now there hadn't been any surprising news or other situations, though the reporter had the feeling that won't last. Usually, some idiots would try to do something stupid, like boast that they will fight the Government, like four years ago. No names as they were, it was some fight until they were abducted by the Marines and since then nothing was heard of them.

_Purupurupuru_

Awoken from her musings, the blonde haired woman took out her portable snail and answered. The other line went static for a moment, before a million voices seemed to speak at once. From all the ruckus, a stronger one emerged.

"There's a huge uproar at Grove 42!"

Before she could reply the connection was cut, leaving Ayama to ponder her choices. Something told her it could be something important. And the final message won't be until much later. With these thoughts in mind, she grabbed her colleague and the enormous Den Den Mushi and made way for Grove 42.

________________________________________

Nami's breath hitched in her throat as she gazed on the horizon at the Archipelago.

There were even more people than she had imagined, based on what they've seen on screen back on Meimeishima. Gulping, she cast a look at her captain, who didn't look concerned in the least.

Well, at least he can stay calm for the rest of us.

"Prepare for debarking." His words were as calm as his demeanor, making all of them fidget. Never have the Strawhats seen Luffy so... calm.

But they complied anyway. It was too late to turn back now.

The bustle of the crowd became a huge roar, now that they were close enough to the shore. Just as they dropped the anchor, a voice rose above the others.

"It's good to see you all again!"

"Oh, Duval!" Luffy smiled widely, waving wildly to the group on the shore.

The blonde haired man made a large reverence. "Thank you, I know I'm handsome!"

"When did he say that?!" Sanji yelled, glaring at the gang leader.

Ignoring him, Duval continued. "Don't worry about the Thousand Sunny. We'll protect her with our lives!"

"Like hell we need your he-"

"Okay, thanks!" Luffy exclaimed. "Let's get down to business everyone!"

________________________________________

Ayama breathed heavily as she bent to catch her breath. They were halfway to Grove 42, but the crowd was getting more and more dense. And the damn Den Den Mushi was so big and heavy!

A group of people ran passed them, one almost bumping into the oversized snail. The woman cursed under her breath, trying to get a little strength back to at least move from the middle of the street.

A couple of minutes later, they managed to move a few meters to the side of the road, away from the traffic, at least.

"You sure what that guy said was true?" Her companion asked from his sitting position on the ground. Ayama spared him a look, nodding.

"I say we stay here." The older man did not look too sold on hunting down pirates. Before the woman could reply, two men broke away from the crowd, running in the opposite direction and yelling.

_"The Strawhat pirates are here!"_

Ayama didn't have to be told twice.

________________________________________

_"... though their intentions are currently unknown."_

Law face palmed and swore under his breath.

Of all the fucking plans in the world, he chose the fucking plan.

"Wow, I didn't think they were such idiots." Shachi commented.

Law could only agree.

________________________________________

_EAST BLUE_

"They are what?!" Genzo demanded from the monitor. His shout made half the village look back at him with mixed faces of grim sadness and concern.

Nojiko sighed. "Please calm down, Genzo. It's not helping anyone."

"But-!"

________________________________________

"What does that boy think he's doing!" Woop Slap shouted.

Makino adjusted the baby in her arms and smiled at the older man. Behind her, the bandits that came down from the mountain to watch the Reverie for the last two days howled with laughter and erupted in cheers.

"That's our Luffy! Kick their asses!"

"He's having fun, I suppose." The bartender giggled, her attention back on the monitors.

The mayor was speechless.

________________________________________

"Chief, I can't believe this!"

"What's there not to believe?" The old man crossed his arms, his eyes never straying from the monitor.

The rest of the staff looked on in curiosity, no one daring to incite their boss further, lest they didn't get to see this through the end.

"Show us how much you've grown, boy."

________________________________________

"Kaya did you see!" Tamanegi grabbed her sleeve, shaking the life out of the young woman.

"Yes, yes." The blonde laughed at their reactions. Brown eyes looked on to the monitors taking in the slowly departing crowd down the street of Sabaody. It looked like they've made quite a ruckus.

"You think it's really them?" Ninjin asked fearfully. He hoped it wouldn't be just a joke.

His question was lost to the wind, but he got his answer anyway.

Nine people emerged from the multitude of people, their appearances underlining their occupation.

In that moment, the world held their breath as one.

________________________________________

_GRAND LINE_

Ayama finished her report just in the nick of time. Just as she stepped away, the Strawhats appeared.

They looked different, though she supposed it was from their new attires. For someone that was as updated as her, she knew their faces well.

Luffy looked at the scared faces around them and suppressed a laugh. They looked too funny gawking like that!

"Keep moving forward Luffy, I'll tell you when to turn." He heard Nami's whisper from behind. He nodded almost imperceptibly, fixing his hat more securely on his head.

He didn't have any idea where to go when they docked, but their ever knowledgeable Navigator quickly led them on.

A shout of 'what are you doing here?' brought the pirate back to reality.

On his left, Zoro grunted, his hand automatically on the hilt of his katana. Sanji lighted a cigarette, the smoke from his exhale lifting up above them towards the sky.  
He didn't see who had spoken, but he didn't need to.

Flashing his most dazzling grin, the strawhat wearing teen answered for the general audience.

"We go where we wanna go."

The statement was met with a resounding silence. Usopp snorted quietly from behind and he could almost feel Robin's amused smile and Nami's exasperated eye roll.  
Humming to himself, the pirate continued onwards to the centre of the island.

Ayama snapped from her stupor and quickly grabbed her frozen partner and the big snail and made to follow them.

________________________________________

A thudding of hurried steps and then,

"SIRS WE HAVE A SITUATION!"

Most of the people gathered around the table winced at the sheer volume but abstained from commenting. Instead, surprised murmurs broke out. The old man at the head of the table slapped his palm on the wood, successfully silencing the room.

"What is the matter?" His tone was calm, yet unforgiving, should the situation be unworthy of their attention.

"Strawhat Luffy and his crew are at the gates of Mariejoia, sir! We have a live video transmission from the scene." The man didn't dare breath as his master's face contorted slowly in anger.

Not trusting his voice, the old man nodded at the man, prompting him to press a button on a nearby remote. The former black screen near the door snapped to life and Strawhat Luffy's face was the first thing the twenty Kings saw.

As if realizing he's being watched, the black haired teen grinned widely.

Cobra shared a look with Dalton and Riku, the trio smiling in amusement. It was good seeing them after all this time. Contrary to their smile, Wapol glared at the pirate and cursed. How dared the blasted bastard destroy the most important meeting in the world?

________________________________________

"I knew it." Shakky's grin was well on its way to unnerving Rayleigh. And that was a feat in its own right.

"Surely you can't tell me that you knew they were coming?" The gray haired man smiled in challenge at the woman near him. They were sitting on the roof of a nearby building watching the ongoing show. Though the Strawhats realized they were there since they entered the plaza, Rayleigh preferred to remain only a spectator on this one.

"More or less." Shakky exhaled, smoke rising above their heads.

"I am now more scared than ever of those instincts of yours." The former pirate chuckled. He paused to study the colorful group in the center of the world's attention for a moment longer before he added.

"You truly want to turn this world upside down, don't you Luffy?"

________________________________________

Luffy gazed into the snail's eyes deeply. The animal gazed back unblinking.

Robin shook her head, amazed by her captain's ability to be so uncaring when surrounded by so many people and marines.

"We are almost done with the connection." The blonde reporter's words brought her back from her musings.

The archaeologist nodded her head, silently beckoning their two 'hostages' to continue.

"So," Usopp began pointedly, "how many people will be watching this, exactly?"

The sniper's nightmares came into existence when Ayama turned around and answered. "Technically, the whole world."

Goddammit Luffy!

________________________________________

Three sharp knocks sounded from the direction of the door announcing the visitor's identity.

"Nice to see that you can knock, Benny." The man seated at the wooden table laughed.

His First Mate did not, however.

Shanks' eyes narrowed and he dropped all humor in favor of listening to whatever news the gray haired man came to tell him. Considering the silence, his and the ships' in general, then something serious must've.

"You should come see this, cap'n."

________________________________________

"I hope you are fucking kidding me." Crocodile exhaled, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the screen.

"It does not look to be a joke, sir." Mr. 1 commented blankly.

________________________________________

"What do those kids think they're doing?" Kureha watched the screen from her sledge with a raised eyebrow. Taking a swing from her bottle, she lifted it up to the sky.  
"A toast to that idiot son of yours, Hiluluk."

________________________________________  
"Mugiwara's gonna die today. A toast to the foolish bastard!" Buggy lifted his glass as a wall of cheers erupted under him.

"I doubt that he will die." Aldiva said from behind him, crossing her arms.

"I am with you on this one." Mr. 3 adjusted his glasses.

________________________________________

"Boss-"

Killer's sentence was cut short by said man's fist colliding with the table their alliance was sitting around at.

"The hell's does Mugiwara think he's doing?!"

"Stop being so jealous of the pipsqueak. If he's gonna die then all the better for us." Apoo said, glaring at the temperamental man. Kidd glared right back.

"I very much doubt it." Hawkins commented blandly, arranging his deck of cards on the table. The two men paused in their quarrel to glare up at him.

"And pray tell why?"

"I do not see the mark of death upon any of them today."

________________________________________

"Iceburg!" Paulie yelled.

Steps could be heard on the other side of the door, before the man's face came into view.

"You could knock Paulie. No use in shouting to a closed door." The Mayor chided. His friend looked down embarrassed. Deciding to spare the guy, Iceburg continued.

"So why were you shouting at my office door?"

The blonde shook his head. "Are you watching the Reverie?"

The head of the Galley-La Company smirked. "As a matter of fact, I am."

________________________________________

"Smoker-san!" Tashigi opened the door without knocking which was the most impolite thing she had ever done in her life.

Her superior looked at her with a surprised yet impressed face. The woman almost slapped him. Refraining from an action that could possibly cost her job slash life, she opted to stay on the subject.

"Something is happening in Sabaody!"

________________________________________

"What is Luffy-san doing?!" Coby was almost wrenching his hair out. His wide, frightened eyes gazed at the screen with an incredible level of horror for someone who constantly lived in danger. A Marine's life was never easy.

"That's what I wanna know!" Beside him, Helmeppo looked to have the same face, his only saving grace being his black glasses covering his eyes.

Heavy steps sounded from behind them and Coby's blood froze.

"That stupid grandson of mine..." Garp growled, though a challenging light danced in his eyes. The pink haired Captain didn't even try to think what that could mean.

________________________________________

"Dragon-san you won't believe this!" Sabo busted the door- again- his eyes locking on his superior's hunched form over the table.

The head of the Revolutionary army looked up, clearly not happy for the interruption, or the door.

"Let me guess, I am on the Death List again." It came out more of a deadpan statement, but the blonde in front of him didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, but that's not important."

A black eyebrow shot up in surprise. Usually, the boy was more composed. Today he looked distracted.

"It's about Luffy-"

Ah.

"Is he on it too?" Dragon was sure he was. After all the crazy messes he pulled on the Government's ass.

"Yes, but that's not important!" Sabo repeated his earlier statement more forcefully.

Dragon paused in his readings, his full attention on the younger man. Sabo took a moment to compose himself, but it was in vain in the end. Breaking in hysterics, the blonde yelled, fists colliding with Dragon's desk.

"LUFFY'S IN SABAODY!"

A few moments of silence passed before a bark of laughter erupted from the older man. Sabo looked up in confusion and worry.

"That kid... I've got to see this."

Standing up, the revolutionary left the room, a panicked older brother hot on his heels.

________________________________________

"And done." Ayama's colleague shouted, distracting Luffy from his staring contest.

The blonde woman nodded, shoving Sanji away. "Now the Council can hear you, not only see. The rest of the world too."

The strawhat wearing pirate nodded and thanked the two. He took a couple of steps forward, inwardly preparing himself for a good shouting and recounting the few words he remembered. Chopper, Robin and Brook had helped him write something on the way here, because none of the Strawhats, excluding their captain, wanted a repeat of Enies Lobby and so on. Meaning they wrote something, with Luffy playing in the background. The hard part was making him remember. They fought a losing battle. Though Robin promised to help him if he got stuck.

The dark haired woman watched her captain and his effort to remember the words. She smiled. He may be clueless most of the time, but Robin was sure the words would come to him. And if not, his imagination was not something to laugh about.

Zoro and Sanji placed themselves on either side of him. Their job, Luffy told them, was to act though and look cool. Both men agreed that it suited them well. Nami face palmed.

Taking a deep breath, Luffy shouted. "You comfortable there, Government bastards?! You better pay attention and listen!" He crossed his arms, a forced serious expression on his face.

Nami wanted to break down sobbing. A look to her left told her she wasn't the only one.

_THAT IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT THEY WROTE!_

A resounding silence descended over the plaza, everyone straining to hear the pirate's next words.

"I dunno what that list is all about, but if you think we're gonna stop 'cause of that then you're all idiots!"

Several people gasped at the insult. On global television.

"We ain't gonna stop, and you're not gonna stop us either!" The black haired teen grinned. "We are going to find One Piece, All Blue,"

Sanji hid his smile behind a curtain of smoke. Damn this captain of theirs.

"An old friend," Brook's heart would have skipped a beat. If he had one.

"Yohoho!"

"Sail the world on an awesome ship,"

"On a super ship!" Franky shouted, thrusting a fist in the air.

"Find a cure for all diseases,"

"Yeah, that's right!" Chopper exclaimed, trying with all his might to stop shaking. His friends' presences put him at ease a little.

"Solve the mystery of those Poneglyps,"

"Indeed we will." Robin said, looking directly in the snail's eyes.

"Beat the world's greatest swordsman,"

Zoro smirked. "You said it, cap."

"Become brave warriors of the sea,"

"Hell yeah we will!" Usopp yelled, fists clenched, his face a mask of determination.

"And after we've seen all these places, we'll draw a map of the whole world!"

Nami nodded her head, not trusting her voice to speak. Luffy could make her a mess of emotions in the worst of moments, dammit!

Feeling encouraged by his friend's words of agreement, Luffy continued.

"And I'm gonna become the Pirate King!"

Index finger pointed at the big snail filming innocently in front of them.

"And you're not gonna stop us, got it bastards? If you want a fight then come get it!"

A large explosion from the direction they came from sent an aftershock that shook the island.

"SHIPS ARE COMING OUT OF THE OCEAN!"

The booming scream of terror made most of the people gathered yell and scramble for safety.

Usopp turned to look at the three screens to their right, praying to whatever god was out there that the Marines weren't coming for them. His eyes widened when he saw what was happening near the shore.

"Oi, everyone! Is that-"

Eight heads turned to look at the screens, each face more confused than the next.

"Ohhhhhh, what are they doing here?" Luffy asked excitedly. His eyes narrowed for a second and he asked. "Is that our flag?!"

Franky and Zoro burst out laughing, Usopp continued making confused noises and Robin giggled softly.

"Urgent report," A black haired man shouted into the microphone, "several unknown ships have just emerged from under the surface. All of them seem to have one thing in common though. They are all flying the Strawhats' Jolly Roger!"

________________________________________

"I repeat: they are all flying The Strawhats' Jolly Roger!"

"Well, I'll be damned." Dalton whistled, breaking the stony silence of the room. Cobra shook his head in amazement, Riku chuckled and Wapol cursed again. The Conference was probably over anyway.

________________________________________

_"There are currently twenty ships and counting! This is an unprecedented event..."_

Rayleigh tuned out the obnoxious reporter and looked towards the port. These kids had to have the Heavens on their side. To think they'd walk out of this unscathed. Keen eyes watched as Luffy and his group scattered about, each one having a more outrageous idea than the last. The former pirate shook his head in amusement.  
Turned out that the Strawhats didn't need to do anything but stay where they were.

_"... there are even pirate legends that have disembarked from the ships! They are currently heading towards..."_

"Judging by that reporter they are already here." Zoro commented, gazing down the street. A sudden movement caught his eyesight and he glared at the bodiless form.

"What is _she_ doing here?"

"It's rude to say something like that to the one that saved your ass, bastard!" An umbrella descended from the heavens and smacked into his head.  
Perona glared, a hand going to her hip. "I was just passing by that island when they forced me to come with them. Seriously, do none of you men know how to navigate a damn ship?!"

"Oi, that was uncalled for woman!" A rough voice snapped.

Luffy's grin widened. "Yo, Barto, Cabbage! Wha'cha doing here?"

"Luffy-senpai I'm so happy to see you here!" The green haired man was almost crying.

"Stop calling me that already." Cavendish growled. Behind them, Hajrudin , Ideo, Sai and Leo appeared down the road, blasting marines and unfortunate civilians to oblivion.

"So these were the guys who took the oath." Nami commented absently taking in all of them. A dwarf, a giant, an exploding man, a monkey, a fanboy and a fashion model. Great.

"They look like idiots." Sanji announced Nami's exact thoughts as he took a drag from his cigarette. Besides him Chopper and Brook nodded fervently.

"They are indeed special." Robin smiled, waving at an ecstatic Leo.

Seeing the large group of pirates exchange greetings, Ayama didn't know what to say or think. Surely, this was not a normal situation. The Marines were closing in on them fast. Hell, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki will come personally. She did not want to be there when shit hit the fan. Though she had one last job as the professional reporter that she was. Grabbing her microphone, she spoke loudly, successfully attracting everyone's attention.

"Who are you? What relationship do you have to the Strawhat pirates?"

Deep inside her soul, Ayama felt her questions resonate throughout the world and back. Which they probably did. This was how silent everything has gotten.  
That was the only question Bartolomeo needed to hear. Stepping forward, he looked at the filming Den Den Mushi and put on his toughest face. I have to look good when I declare my eternal allegiance to Luffy-senpai after all.

He felt Cabbage and the others step up behind him as well and resisted the urge to shoo them away. The pirate assured himself they were needed, as much as the dual personality bastard was concerned. The others were fine in his humble opinion.

"Who we are?" The question was asked with undeniable sarcasm. "We are Strawhat Luffy's underlings. We've pledged our lives to the Strawhat pirates. You bastards better remember that!"

With that said, Bartolomeo turned around to head back, throwing a thumbs down on his way, the cocky grin never leaving his face.

Cavendish smirked, slicing the device easily. This day was not complete shit in the end. Even though that idiot's words hadn't been the most refined, it was the truth.

"I told you," Luffy crossed his arms, a pout spreading across his face. "You are not my underlings or anything. I didn't drink that sake."

"No but we did, Luffy-land!" Leo exclaimed, laughing at the other's incredulous expression.

"Did you think you are the only one who can do whatever he wants, Strawhat?" Cavendish sheathed his sword. Blue eyes sparkled with mischief. "We go where we wanna go."

Luffy twitched but remained silent, his hat dropping to cover his eyes. Everyone stopped in the middle of their escape to gaze back at their captain.

"Is there something the matter, Luffy-san?" Orlumbus asked, concerned.

Suddenly, the strawhat wearing teen burst out laughing. "Fine, whatever. Let's get outta here. Sanji I'm hungry!"

"Stupid plans and food, are those the only things in that head of yours?!" Usopp exclaimed, slapping his captain upside the head.

________________________________________

"Well," King Cobra began, trying in vain not to laugh out loud. "This was surely something else."

_I hope Vivi saw this._

"Indeed." King Riku chuckled.

"This is outrageous!" Wapol's hand collided with the table, making the dishes on it clatter. "They are to be executed as fast as possible."

"Now, let's not-" Dalton began, but the man at the head of the table cut him off.

"It seems we have judged fairly. The Strawhat pirates are indeed one of the most dangerous in the world." He spoke with a calm demeanor, like he wasn't ready to explode a few minutes ago.

"Now let's continue the final meeting of the Reverie for this year."

Wapol looked ready to protest, but a sharp look from the older man made him reconsider. And so, the World Council continued on.

________________________________________

"I swear I will write a book about them someday."

Rayleigh opened the door of the bar and chuckled. Shakky could have such outrageous ideas sometimes. But it didn't sound too bad.

"You should." The older man continued to smile as he closed the door behind them, and moved to sit down on the sofa.

"Oh, what's this?" Shakky bent over the counter to gaze at the object better.

Curiosity piqued, Rayleigh followed her lead. His eyes widened as he saw a bulky package wrapped in brown paper.

"Look, it has a message, too." The barmaid removed the small piece of paper from its surface and read it. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise and she suppressed a smile, handing it to Rayleigh. "Now you don't have the right to complain anymore."

The former pirate began reading the message, quickly figuring out it was from the Strawhats.

_Rayleigh-san,_

_We have recently docked on Fukuma and encountered a very interesting trio. The old man that we bargained with has asked me to give you this package in his place. He confessed it was a long-due promise he had to fulfill. As always, thank you for your help._

"Signed by Nico Robin. Huh." Rayleigh was not sure what to expect, but his eyes went wide as he opened it and gazed at the jacket inside. Just like he had asked of him years ago.

A second slip of paper fell from the cloth and he bent to retrieve it.

_Hope I am not too late, Rayleigh. Greetings from Fukuma, I hope you will visit us soon._

_Kaizoku no Fuku Shop_

An undeniable smile crossed the man's face. What kind of blunt name was that?

________________________________________

_"Currently, the ships are holding their positions, but the attacks on the island have stopped. Their number is increasing with each passing minute almost reaching thirty as of now. It is still unclear whether all these dangerous pirates are under Strawhat Luffy's command..."_

Keen eyes shifted from the static screen to the other two, the sight shifting to show another angle shot of the Strawhat group's retreating backs. The First Mate of the Red- Haired pirates grudgingly agreed that he was impressed. Crossing his arms, he turned to look at their captain. The man did not look in the least moved, his face a composed mask of calm, almost as if-

"Well, that was almost expected." Shanks released a short breath of laughter that served as a call for waking up the crew members from their daze.

There it was. Ben almost sighed. Of course Shanks would have seen it coming. The thought was positively annoying.

"Man, your kid really takes after you, Yasopp!"

The man in question studied his captain with a raised eyebrow, but a proud smile was slowly forming on his face.

"All right, enough fun for a day. Back to your posts!" The gray haired man barked the order, making everyone on the deck scramble to get back to work.

"Stop trying to act cool, cap. It doesn't suit you."

Shanks waved his friend's words away as he turned on his heels, making a beeline for his cabin. A few minutes later, one could hear his muffled cheers for a certain strawhat wearing pirate.

Ben shook his head, amused if anything. His eyes lifted up towards New World's bright, blue sky and a rare smile formed on his lips.

"That's it kid. Keep going up to the top."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Chapter 2**

_ ALABASTA _

Igaram watched in concern as Alabasta's precious princess, a blue haired young woman, who had managed the impossible feat of saving her country from the clutches of a dangerous criminal- and a person that could most probably retain her composure in most unforeseen situations- was currently rolling on the floor in fits of continuous laughter.

Next to him, Chaka and Pell were looking just as confused, if only a little relaxed at seeing that Vivi's only reaction had been to laugh. Not something worse. Like demanding a ship to Sabaody Archipelago. Just as she'd done the last time the crew was separated.

_ The princess almost got out of the island that time, too. _

Shaking his head to get rid of the not so happy memories, the Captain of the Royal Guard looked back at the blue haired woman. Vivi seemed to finally get a hold of herself as she jumped up from the floor, brown eyes staring at the screen attentively.

The reporter was still talking, though now there were only speculations thrown around by the surrounding people in the area who he was reciting. Nothing special about the Strawhats anymore.

_ "... but as we've seen until now, there wasn't any more movement from the fleet surrounding the Archipelago. Several Marine battleships are already here, but the pirates don't look to be intending on starting a fight." _

"I can't believe those guys." Vivi whispered, trying in vain to abstain from bursting out laughing again. "This makes watching the Reverie worth it." Her eyes twinkled with amusement, and a small side of her could not help but be proud of Luffy-san and the others.

They even got themselves a fleet! The princess was sure they had amazing stories to share with her and she couldn't wait to see them again and meet the new crewmates that had joined the pirate crew after her departure.

Vivi also had her own stories to tell them, though she was sure they weren't as interesting.

"You better make sure to keep that promise Luffy-san. We'll see each other again soon."

* * *

 

_ DRESSROSA _

Kyros looked at Rebecca, the rose haired girl looked back at him and they both burst out laughing.

"I'm not surprised." The princess shook her head.

"It would have been strange if they didn't do that." Her father agreed.

There was a groan next to him and both looked at Viola, sitting on the couch. Her light brown eyes studied the reporter on the screen with a detached gaze.

"I hope father is going to be fine in there."

"Why wouldn't he?" The black haired man asked, arms crossed.

As much as Viola did not like the earlier events, deeming it too dangerous, Kyros was definitely impressed by Strawhat's guts. He'd like to congratulate the man himself for the feat.

"That was definitely awesome." Rebecca giggled again. Her father nodded.

The crown princess rolled her eyes. "Remind me why have I sneaked you in the palace for."

* * *

 

Crocodile extinguished his cigar, before lighting another one, all the while his eyes never leaving the reporter on the screen.

"That was stupid." The black haired man rasped, leaning more comfortably on his boulder. He really liked that rock.

Mr. 1 made a grunt of agreement. "I considered Strawhat Luffy to have more insight."

His boss snorted. "You don't know that bastard. He does not have any insight whatsoever. He's just doing whatever he damn pleases. I still don't understand how he's still alive."

The man's confession was lost to the wind.

* * *

 

"What the hell was that?!" Buggy's eyes were bulging out of his head, jaw hanging open in shock.

Behind him, Mr. 3 looked to the screen in wonder. He had expected as much from the straw hat wearer.

"See, I told you the 'idiot' was not going to die." The bespectacled man made air quotation marks with his fingers.

The clown turned to him with a scorching glare.

"Why? Why isn't he dead?!" Poor Buggy could not even begin to understand what happened in there.

_ Where was that damn Sakazuki and the Marines?! _

"Face it, you're going to die from a heart attack way before him, if you continue to act like a sissy." Alvida crossed her arms, throwing the man a  _ look _ .

Ignoring Buggy's curses, she sank deeper in the comfortable sofa and took a sip of her exotic cocktail. Mr. 3 lifted his glasses up his nose and sighed. Another loud day with Buggy the Clown.

* * *

 

Law slowly shook his head, trying to make sense of the sheer idiocy that surrounded the whole incident. Unfortunately, he couldn't do it.

"Captain, what do you think happened to Strawhat?" Shachi scratched his head, clearly at a loss. Next to him, Penguin did not look to fare much better.

"That reporter said they are leaving." Bepo pointed out, motioning to the screen.

Indeed, the black haired man was saying something along those lines.

"I told you," the doctor exhaled, leaning himself against the trunk of the tree they were standing around, "we have just witnessed the most idiotic possible outcome in the history of the Reverie."

His words served to set a grim atmosphere around the Heart Pirate's crew, contrasting greatly with the joyous atmosphere surrounding Meimeishima.

* * *

 

"What the fuck!?"

Apoo looked at the fearsome pirate captain Kidd, sputtering like an idiot over his food, and he had to sigh. On the other side of the table, Hawkins was currently displaying a smug smirk, his face set in an  _ I-told-you-idiots-so _  look that left the remaining captain with irritation crawling inside his chest. He did not like the use of plural in that look. Kidd was the idiot in this alliance, not him.

"It seems the Marines let them go."

Two pairs of incredulous eyes and one of smug entertainment were fixed on Killer's mask.

"How the fuck is that even remotely possible?!" Kidd burst again. "Did he sell his soul or something?"

"I bet it wouldn't be far from the truth." Apoo agreed, crossing his arms.

"I told you." Hawkins' smirk widened.

The other two rolled their eyes collectively.

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

 

Tashigi chocked on the cigar's smoke, or probably on her spit. She was not sure. But the black haired woman didn't have the presence of mind to think about such trivial things at the moment.

Smoker snorted for the fifth time in the last few minutes and leaned back in his seat.

"Now no one has any right to tell me anymore that I'm obsessed with hunting Strawhat and his crew." An unbidden smirk crawled his way up on his face. "They'll all be now."

The swordsman threw him a dubious look and her superior felt compelled to add.

"I'm not obsessed with Strawhat!"

* * *

 

_ WATER 7 _

Paulie's jaw hung open, his eyes wide as he continued to watch the screen even after news about the Strawhats have ceased to pop up.

From behind his desk, Iceburg had only one thing to say to this.

"That bastard Franky advertising only his ship. He could've at least said something about my company too."

* * *

 

_ "... the Fleet Admiral is said to be on his way, though most of the ships belonging to Strawhat Luffy's fleet have already submerged under the water. Only a few including the main ship of the Strawhat crew remain..." _

Coby watched the reporter go on and on, but only one thing registered in his mind.

"Eh? The Fleet Admiral still hadn't arrived?"

"That's the last of our problems!" Helmeppo shouted, hitting him over the head. "I still can't believe Strawhat has gotten himself a fucking fleet." The blonde muttered, crossing his arms.

Coby rubbed his head, pouting but nodded nonetheless.

"He's really amazing!"

By the look on his face, Helmeppo did not agree with him.

The two didn't have any more time to discuss this as a roaring laughter sounded from behind them on the deck.

Garp flexed his fist, grinning like the mad man he probably was in his free time.

"That grandson of mine knows how to rile me up. Now I really want to hunt them down!"

Coby and Helmeppo sweat dropped as they watched the display.

_ Poor Luffy. _

Fleet Admiral Sakazuki cursed Strawhat for the nth time in the short period it took to transverse the Red Line and enter the Grand Line's waters. His small, dark eyes watched the Archipelago, only a black dot in the distance, and silently beckoned the ship to  _ move faster _ .

The appearance of that stupid kid could have been dealt with by the Marines stationed on the island, but Admiral Fujitora-who he'd be keeping at an arm's length from now on- had insisted that, as Fleet Admiral, he had to go there personally.

Teeth gritted so hard they released a cringeworthy noise, Sakazuki eyed the black haired, blind man behind him and cursed him too. The bastard was too righteous for his own good, not to mention the first shit that happens and he gets his hands on is usually slapped in Sakazuki's face for good measure. His goddamn lectures were not helpful either.

A bark of laughter snapped the Devil Fruit user away from his dark thoughts and he had to sigh. If only this ship wasn't prepared to depart at the convenient moment- meaning the moment he had thought Fujitora would leave him the hell alone if he boarded  _ any _  ship-he'd have gladly awaited another one, empty of old idiots. As of now, he had the whole array, Garp not included. If the bastard had been present there too, the Fleet Admiral might have blown himself up. Thankfully, the only homicidal thoughts swimming in his mind right now are the ones including and ranging from drowning himself to drowning the whole ship.

_ Good times. _

"Stop laughing, this is a serious matter!" Tsuru's voice was getting louder and louder with each word spoken. She, at least, was not laughing at him and the whole situation. This made Tsuru easily the sanest person on that ship.

"Sorry, sorry, but it's too funny." Sengoku burst again into a fit of laughter. "I bet Garp finds this just as amusing as me."

He said that as if it was the only reasonable excuse in the world, not even stopping when the old woman next to him released a dangerous and exasperated growl at the mention of Garp's name.

"Sakazuki, you should hurry it up. They are gonna leave, y'know." Sengoku continued, voice delighted at the prospect of an imminent escape from the pirates. The lava man was sure he'd pay to see that happening.

The Fleet Admiral growled, but abstained from blowing up everything around him. I'd only result in more paperwork.

* * *

 

_ EAST BLUE _

The village was unnervingly silent. Even the waves lapping against the cliffs were doing so with less ferocity than normal. A large clump of people was gathered in the middle of said village, each citizen currently displaying a face more shocked than the last.

And in the middle of them all, a blue haired young woman stood along with a black haired, moustached man. Nojiko had on an impressed face, her eyes shining with admiration for her sister and the crew she was part of.

_ Those guys are really something else. _

In contrast, Genzo was looking like he had been hit by the Sea Train- even if he didn't know what a sea train was.

The older man opened his mouth, surely about to demand why Nami's skirt was so short- _ and was she wearing only a bra under that jacket?!-  _ and curse that straw hat wearing kid for putting her and the rest of the crew in danger. Though he must confess that his words had struck a chord inside him. But that won't save his skin.

Thankfully, Nojiko stopped him before he could start causing damage.

"It's too late now, Genzo-san. Please drop it."

The man growled, but reluctantly allowed it to slide this once.

* * *

 

Kaya smiled at the three laughing kids currently celebrating their former captain's bravery and dream, each one of them cheering for him and his crew louder. The shouts of encouragement did not reach the villagers though.

The rest of the citizens of Syrup Village were either shaking their heads in disappointment, or disbelief, muttering things like 'that kid has finally snapped' or 'he really is a pirate's son'.

It made Kaya unbelievably angry, but the future doctor refrained herself from doing anything stupid. Those people didn't know Usopp how she knew him and neither did they know anything about the Strawhat Pirates apart from whatever is written in the newspapers. They were strong and nice people, and the blonde was truly happy for that. Now she could rest easy in knowing that Usopp had a trustworthy and capable crew behind him.

_ And they even had a fleet! _

One thing Kaya knew for sure was that she couldn't wait to hear the stories Usopp will tell her about his adventures.

* * *

 

The restaurant Baratie was currently in a stage of uproar, though the fact was not due to the earlier events.

No, rather, half of the cooks working there were celebrating, already on their way to prepare a feast. The other half of them were lifting up huge chunks of wood from their supply boats, some already designing them and in the process of cutting said pieces.

"Make sure they are resembling him, got it?" Head Chief Zeff watched the spectacle in front of him with a thoughtful face, a hand scratching his chin.

He took a long look at the wanted poster in his other hand and smiled.

"Good job, kid."

* * *

 

Woop Slap's jaw hung open along with the other, normal citizens of Fuchsia Village.

Their guests, that were surely not normal, along with their bar owner resident, who the old man felt compelled to believe she was starting to become abnormal too, were in a state between a party filled with alcohol and a celebration with cake and food.

Maybe a bit of both, if they'd find someone to liberate of a few dishes of those and then some  _ sake _ .

Watching the bandits celebrate did nothing but aggravate the old man more.

"Come now, mayor." Makino smiled as the baby in her arms gave a loud squeal, flailing his little arms happily toward the screen.

"No, you cannot make me calm down after witnessing this outrageousness Makino!" The old man exclaimed, clearly determined to keep his word.

"I think we should be happy that Luffy did not change, instead of being angry with him. Besides, Fuchsia hasn't been mentioned even once since his departure, so I doubt you have to worry anymore about the village's reputation." The dark haired woman spoke, a smile adorning her face, though her eyes were sharp and narrowed slightly in warning.

No matter how nice Makino could be, there was a limit to her patience as well. In this case it had been ten years.

_ Considering who the father of that kid is, I'd say her patience is legendary, _  the mayor thought.

* * *

 

_ BALTIGO _

"… _ and now the Marines are scouting for any pirates left on the island that could belong to Strawhat Luffy's fleet. There is no saying when they might appear again, though for now every one of them, including the Strawhats themselves, have submerged and are believed to be heading toward Fishman Island. Some of our sources seemed to have confirmed their appearance there, but…" _

Sabo smiled proudly at his little brother's feat, truly wishing now that he had been there too. After he had calmed down enough to actually watch what was going on, Sabo has been left impressed. It surely must have been a sight to behold. Especially with all those Marines coming now and being left with nothing but an empty port. The situation was almost ironically comic.

The blonde looked to the side at his superior, only to see the man currently displaying a rather peculiar expression that could only be translated as a smirk mixed with something like cunning evil and chaotic good, an achievement that signaled to Sabo the clearly impending plan currently forming inside Dragon's mind. They will have a shitload of work when this was all over.

"Strawhat Luffy really knows how to rile up a crowd." The black haired man murmured, mostly for himself, but Sabo heard it anyway.

And he gulped.

"Isn't that right, Sabo?"

The expectant gaze directed at him did nothing to soothe his overreacting imagination. Though Sabo knew his imagination was not the problem in this case.

"Yeah, my little brother's a handful, but when it comes to gathering armies, he can do it with his hands tied behind his back." The older brother boasted, clearly having instantly forgotten about everything when it came to Luffy and his skills of combat strategy. Even if said raven head didn't have any of those skills to begin with.

"Preferably with his hands tied behind his back." The last part of his answer served as a good wakeup call and Sabo bit his lip glaringly painful.

Damn, did he just pour oil to Dragon's fire tornado of a plan?

_ Yes, yes I did. Shi- _

"Hm, very good then." The head of the revolutionaries' smirk suddenly widened, a motion that made the blonde's dread double, if not triple.

"I should pay a visit to my son sometime in the near future then."

Sabo watched the black clad back of his superior disappear down the hall and he allowed his earlier thought resurface and complete itself.

_ Shit. _

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Hello! :D  
> This one shot was born from two plot bunnies that merged into one at some point and became this random thing. 
> 
> Feedback is loved!


End file.
